Requires reporting of a criminal conviction and sentence of a physician

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Andrew Gounardes says this is needed

Under current law, when certain medical professionals are convicted and sentenced, the court must notify the Office of Professional Medical Conduct. After receiving this information, the New York State Department of Health is required to update the physician's public profile on the New State Physician Profile website. However, current law does not provide a clear deadline for when the court must submit that notice and when the profile must be updated. As a result, some physicians' public profiles are not up to date and may not reflect the physician's criminal conviction. This leaves patients without important information when choosing their doctor. This bill creates clear deadlines for reporting and public disclosure. First, it requires the court to notify the Office of Professional Medical Conduct of a conviction and sentence within twenty-four hours. After receiving that notice, the New York State Department of Health must update the physician's public profile within forty-eight hours to reflect the conviction and sentence. Timely reporting is important for public safety, transparency, and patient decision-making. For example, a Columbia University physician was convicted in 2021 and sentenced in 2022 for sexually abusing a former patient, but the physician's public profile had still not been updated to reflect that criminal history. This bill ensures that patients have access to accurate and timely information when making decisions about their medical care.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.